Is The Top U.S. General In Afghanistan The Right Man For The Job?

U.S. Army General John W. Nicholson Jr., center, commander of Resolute Support forces and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, arrives during a transfer of authority ceremony April 29 at Shorab camp in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. (Reuters)

Wesley Morgan, Politico: Is the top general in Afghanistan in too deep?

For Army Gen. John "Mick" Nicholson, the war in Afghanistan is deeply personal.

The top commander in charge of President Donald Trump's revamped strategy to “fight to win” has spent much of the last decade-plus fighting the Taliban and other militant groups, forging deep bonds with Afghan leaders. He has also lost scores of his own troops — sacrifices that at times have made him more reluctant than other commanders to cede territory to the enemy, and deaths he repeatedly cites as a reason to keep fighting.

"We will deliver on your sacrifice," Nicholson recently pledged to troops who have served in America's longest war and "especially those who've been wounded and to the families of our fallen comrades."

But some of his fellow veterans are looking askance at his bullish predictions of victory in the 16-year-old war — such as his recent statement that the U.S. and its Afghan partners are "turning the corner," or his pronouncement that the Taliban's choices are “to reconcile, live in irrelevance or die." Some worry that he is too invested in the conflict to see it as the quagmire it is.

Some of his predictions also appear to conflict with recent assessments from some U.S. intelligence agencies.

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WNU Editor: I have been critical of U.S. Army General John W. Nicholson Jr. in the past ....

Top U.S. General In Afghanistan Accuses Russia And Iran Of Boosting The Taliban (December 1, 2017)
The U.S. Military Believes It Will Take Two Years To Drive Back The Taliban In Afghanistan (December 12, 2017)

But unlike many of his predecessors who came and went .... he has made a commitment to stay in Afghanistan and fight the fight. He believes that it will take two years before the stalemate turns in favor of the Afghan government and its allies .... I suspect that it will take longer (if ever). But we should have a very good idea on where is this conflict going by the end of this year when this "new strategy and approach" has been implemented. My prediction .... the Taliban will be suffering losses, but they will still remain intact.